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8/23/2015Alan Adams 2 Timothy 1

Paul, in this chapter, speaks of his complete trust and confidence in Christ Jesus. Key terms of his declaration are: know, believe, persuaded, able to guard, and committed. It is interesting to note how he uses many of the same terms to describe his confidence in his missionary protege and child in the gospel, Timothy. It is a great application of this passage to use the principles in our pursuit of establishing relationships with people.

Rock Duality

8/23/2015Alan Adams Psalm 95

David by the Spirit extols and magnifies the "rock of our salvation." He seamlessly issues the perpetual need for men "today" to "hear [God's] voice." He cites that generation which provoked God so that He "sware in his wrath, that they should no enter into my rest." The Spirit uses this Psalm in making a point to Christians about "unbelief" (Hebrews 4). The choice is simple: be saved on the rock; or be crushed under it.

Things Learned by the First Grade

8/16/2015Alan Adams 2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 22

To keep his power-grubbing grandmother from killing him, heir to the throne in Judah, Joash, was hidden in the house of the Lord for six years. At the age of seven, he was crowned and his grandmother dispatched. One wonders what Joash had learned by the time he hit seven; or we might ask, by the time he was "in the first grade."

Fully Assured

8/2/2015Alan Adams Romans 14

The church is perfect in regard to her divine side; the human side, though, is complex and fraught with challenges. The Spirit of God has given Christians rules to follow when they disagree over things which are matters of indifference to God.

Ten Steps Backward

8/2/2015Alan Adams 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38

Hezekiah had been told to set his house in order, because he was going to die. He wept and prayed, and God promised him an additional fifteen years. As a sign, God made the shadow on Ahaz' sundial go backward ten steps. During the extra time, Hezekiah set in motion events that would lead to the future Babylonian destruction. He also fathered a son, Manasseh, who would in his reign unleash forces of wickedness heretofore unseen.

Thirtieth Year, Fourth Month, Fifth Day

7/26/2015Alan Adams Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel was among the captives by the River Chebar. Why were they there? How did they get there? What did the future portend for them? In the thirtieth year, fourth month, and on day five, the heavens were opened and Ezekiel saw visions of God. Jerusalem had been destroyed; but the captives would one day go home and rebuild. It was important that they see God; and see themselves in that light.

Entrance

7/26/2015Alan Adams Genesis 2:8, 15; 3:24; 2 Peter 1:11

There are many metonymies, which encapsulate redemption; one such is "entrance." "Abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom" is the story of what God has done for man, after driving him out of the Garden of Eden.

Patriarchal Standing

7/19/2015Alan Adams Genesis 37-50

The Spirit of God has said much about God's people "standing," when the time comes; standing for faith and principle. Three patriarchs, Reuben, Judah and Joseph, serve as excellent paradigms on the study of "standing," both positive and negative.

Baggage Handlers

7/12/2015Alan Adams 1 Samuel 25

The church of Christ is "many members but one body"; and all "members," regardless of perspective, are "necessary." A good Old Testament story that relates to this truth is David's ordering up his troops to prepare for battle, while leaving 200 hundred to abide "by the baggage." No church can survive without the unsung baggage handlers.

Failing at the Bed or the Bank

7/12/2015Alan Adams Hebrews 13:4; 1 Timothy 6:8

"Bed," in Scripture, is a metonymy for marital conjugal intimacy. "Bank," in modern parlance, is a metonymy for finances, or financial affairs. The cause of the high percentage of marriages that fail often can be traced back to bed and bank.

Making the Impossible Possible; Making the Possible Impossible

7/5/2015Alan Adams 1 Samuel 15

Despite the obvious sound of mooing bovines, king Saul asserted to Samuel that he "had performed the commandment of Jehovah." The mooing and the Saul's claim could not both be true. It is breathtaking to watch people try to make the impossible possible; equally so, to watch them make the possible impossible.

Battle Cry!

6/28/2015Alan Adams Judges 7

The day after Pearl Harbor, FDR referred to the day of the attack as a day that shall live in infamy. This sermon speaks of our "nation," not as much America, but the "holy nation," the church, God's people. Five people have just attacked a divinely established institution of our nation: marriage. It is a day that shall live in infamy. What shall be our battle cry? or, Shall it be a meaningless whimper?

A 300Y Walk

6/28/2015Alan Adams Genesis 5; Hebrews 11; Jude 1

There are 5K and 10K walks; the one to beat all is the 300Y walk. Enoch, walked with God three hundred years. Not only that, he so pleased God, that God made it possible for this man to forgo death. He "was not," for God "took him." There is a story here that must be told.

2015 VBS: Mission Possible Video

Who Is My Neighbor? Who Is My Enemy?

6/21/2015Alan Adams Matthew 5

Our 2015 VBS theme is "Mission Possible." It's both and takeoff and a spin. It takes off from the old TV show, Mission Impossible. Our spin, though, is we have both "possible" and "obligatory" missions. This one examines the charge, the mission from "captain Jesus" to love both neighbor and enemy. Who are each? How does one love each?

Dumb Until You Get It Right

6/21/2015Alan Adams Luke 1

Zacharias and Elizabeth were both way up years; and all through their marriage, Elizabeth was unable to conceive. Though in their dotage, an angel sent from God told them they were going to be parents; it would be a boy; and they were to name him John. Zacharias challenged the promise, and his punishment for the insult was being unable to talk until the baby was born. The sermon examines a "what if." What if one could not speak until he said exactly on only what God has said?

Undeterred Faith

6/14/2015Alan Adams Matthew 15; Mark 7

The undeterred faith of the single-minded Syrophoenician woman is a story for the ages. This Gentile woman was sifted and tested by Jesus, as much for the benefit of His disciples as her. Seemingly curtly rebuffed by the Lord, and dismissed by His disciples, she nonetheless was undeterred in her belief that He was the answer to her plea and need. Her faith, Jesus said, was "great."

Impossibility

6/7/2015Alan Adams Book of Hebrews

With our pending VBS (Theme: Mission Possible), we have focused on what Scripture has to say about faith and possibility. This lesson follows suit, albeit with view toward looking at things which Scripture says are "impossible."

Rarity

6/7/2015Alan Adams Isaiah 13:12

Subsequent to the "day of the Lord" befalling Babylon, the male population would be so decimated, that a man would more rare than fine gold, or the pure gold of Ophir. As per God's description of what a man ought to be, one may extend Isaiah's characterization of rarity to the comparatively few males who are actually men.

What a Kiss!

5/31/2015Alan Adams Psalm 85

The terms and sentiments of this psalm are a microcosm of God's plan for making sinners righteous: the gospel. In a wondrous way, at the cruel cross, truth and mercy met; righteousness and peace kissed each other.

Seven Cents for a Bad Penny

5/24/2015Alan Adams Matthew 12

In that brief period when God let evil spirits out of "prison" to inhabit the bodies -- "tabernacles" -- of others, Jesus and His apostles, by "the finger of God cast out demons," thus proving "the kingdom of God [is] come upon you." Out of that backdrop the Lord taught the parable of the evil spirit which had been driven from his "squatter's house," only to come back and find it all cleaned out, but no one living in it. The spirit brought seven others worse than he to live in the swept and garnished house. Not only must we purge evil from our lives; but we must fill them with good things.

Sparrows and Swallows, but Not I

5/24/2015Alan Adams Psalm 84

The sentiments of this psalm are those of a person who longs to be where he is not: The place where God is worshipped. The map in his heart is one of the "highways to Zion." He bemoans the fact that sparrows and swallows can find a home there; but he, at the present, can't. This must be the attitude Christians have about the "assembling of your own selves together."

If You Can #2

5/17/2015Alan Adams Mark 9

Two amazing events: the transfiguration of the Lord, and the Lord's expulsion of an evil spirit from a young man, give rise to abiding fundamental principles: 1) We must "hear" Christ, which is 2) the source of what we believe; 3) all things are possible to him who believes; 4) belief can be too little, and too willing to admit to failure; 5) faith must be blended with prayer; and 5) faith like a mustard seed can accomplish big things.

If You Can #1

5/17/2015Alan Adams Mark 9

Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James and John, went up on Mt. Hermon, where he was transfigured. Out of this backdrop, the Lord and the three return to where the other nine were, only to find them being derided by the scribes because they had failed to cast out a demon from a young man. Jesus, of course cast out the evil spirit. In His words before an after, the Lord said, 1) To one who believes, all things are possible; 2) The faith of the apostles who failed was too little; 3) Some actions of faith required prayer for their accomplishment; and 4) With faith the size of a mustard seed, one could move mountains.

Evangelism Verities

5/10/2015Alan Adams 1 Corinthians 13:13

The spiritual gifts were temporary, designed to bring Christianity to a full-grown state. They came to end; though, in the short term they served their purpose. Two of the purposes of the gifts, relative to evangelism, were 1) quickly creating audiences of listeners, and 2) quickly establishing the authority of the word spoken by the evangelists. Paul said the "most excellent" way was based on three abiding verities: faith, hope and love. These three verities, relative to evangelism, are our marketing tools.

The Great Ophrah Cookout

5/10/2015Alan Adams Judges 6

It all happened in Ophrah. Israel was in bad way; so much so that Gideon was clandestinely threshing wheat in a winepress. A special guest, the angel of the Lord, the Lord, appeared under the oak tree and announced that Gideon was a mighty man of valor, and that he would save Israel. A somewhat dubious Gideon begged his guest's pardon while he went to the house and prepared goat meat, broth and bread. He came back to "present" his offering; the guest told him to put it all on a rock, at which point, he touched the rock with a staff. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the offering. Thus began Gideon's call to arms and rise to duty.

All Israel Shall Be Saved

5/3/2015Alan Adams Romans 9-11

One reads in the Book of Romans: "all Israel shall be saved." Ought he not ask, "Which Israel?" Paul said there are two. Ought he not also ask, "Saved in the same way as the rest of the world?" Paul said there's no distinction between Jew and Greek. Ought he not further ask, "Saved; how?" Paul said, "and so all Israel shall be saved."